The present invention relates to a heated steering wheel and a method of manufacturing the same.
In steering a motor vehicle in cold conditions, say, near to or below 0xc2x0 C., a driver with his hands on a cold surface of a steering wheel may experience some discomfort. The use of a heating device to heat an outer surface of the steering wheel rim is a known way of overcoming the above concern, the heating device being arranged between the steering wheel rim and a covering such as leather wrapped around the steering wheel rim.
In some motor vehicles a decorative section of a laminated wood is mounted onto the steering wheel rim. For such a wooden laminate covered steering wheel rim, a known method of mounting the laminated sections onto the steering wheel rim is to apply glue to the inner surfaces of the sections which are 3 mm-4 mm thick and attached them to the steering wheel rim. The problems associated with heating these sections using a heating device below the surface of the laminated section are the very poor thermal conductivity of the wood laminate and its tendency to crack when heated due to the differences in expansion of the various wood sections. In addition, the sections of the wood laminate can be forced apart by expansion of the adhesive.
There is provided in accordance with the present invention a heated steering wheel comprising a steering wheel rim, heating device arranged on the steering wheel rim and a shell comprising two or more shell parts, each shell part extending at least part of the way around the periphery of rim in radial cross-section, wherein the shell parts are joined together by an adhesive applied only to mutually contacting surfaces of the shell parts. The adhesive is not intentionally applied between the heating device and the two or more shell parts and hence the problem of cracking of the shell outlined above is substantially obviated.
There is further provided in accordance with the present invention a method of manufacturing a heated steering wheel. The method comprising the steps of providing a steering wheel rim, arranging heating device on the rim, providing a shell having two or more shell parts, arranging each shell part on the periphery of the rim and attaching the two or more shell parts together, edge to edge by applying adhesive only between said edges.